The conviction is part of a broader investigation into the embezzlement of funds allocated for border defense infrastructure in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine.

Authorities have pursued multiple former officials in the region following allegations that money intended to strengthen frontier defenses was misappropriated.

Parts of the Kursk region were seized by Ukrainian forces for several months in 2024, underscoring its strategic importance.

Details of the specific charges against Smirnov were not immediately disclosed, but the case reflects an ongoing crackdown on corruption linked to defense spending in border areas.

Vladimir region governor Alexander Avdeev said on Telegram that “enemy drones attacked civilian infrastructure,” adding that two adults and their seven-year-old son were killed when a drone struck a residential building.

He said a five-year-old girl was hospitalized with burns.Russian officials said the scale of aerial activity was among the largest reported in recent months, with air defence systems engaged across multiple regions.

Some of the drones were approaching Moscow, leading aviation authorities to briefly suspend operations at the capital’s airports as a precautionary measure.No immediate comment was issued by Ukrainian authorities regarding the reported strikes.

Both sides have intensified drone warfare as part of the broader conflict, frequently targeting infrastructure and logistical nodes.

The incident underscores the continued expansion of aerial attacks beyond frontline areas, with civilian regions increasingly affected as both Russia and Ukraine deploy long-range unmanned systems.

Qalibaf described the threats as “reckless” in a social media post, saying Washington would gain nothing through escalation and urging respect for Iran’s rights. Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the warnings amounted to “a direct and public incitement to terrorize civilians,” calling on the international community to intervene.

The statements came as Iran has effectively halted cargo traffic through the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict, a critical chokepoint for global oil and gas shipments. The disruption has contributed to rising energy prices and heightened volatility in international markets.

Russia also criticized Washington’s stance, urging a return to negotiations. The Russian foreign ministry, citing a call between Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart, said the United States should abandon “the language of ultimatums.”

Iranian officials signaled the crisis could widen beyond the Gulf. Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, warned that allied groups could target the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, a route that typically handles around 12 percent of global trade.

Iran leads a network of allied groups across the region, including in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen, where Houthi forces have previously attacked shipping lanes.Tehran has also introduced conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

Presidential spokesperson Seyyed Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaei said transit could resume only if a portion of revenues is allocated to compensate Iran for war-related damages.Trump has said the United States would strike Iranian power plants and bridges if the strait is not reopened, setting a deadline that further escalated tensions.

In remarks reported over the weekend, he reiterated the threat of military action if maritime traffic remains blocked.Iran’s culture minister Sayed Reza Salihi-Amiri dismissed the warnings, describing Trump as inconsistent and saying Iranian society does not take his statements seriously.

The standoff underscores the strategic importance of maritime chokepoints in the Middle East and the potential for disruption to ripple through global energy markets and trade networks.

Orban, in power for 16 years and widely seen as Moscow’s closest ally within the European Union, has framed Ukraine as a source of instability while positioning his government as a guarantor of peace and security.

Analysts say the approach seeks to shift focus away from domestic economic concerns that have boosted support for opposition leader Peter Magyar.“The campaign’s rhetoric is deliberately binary peace versus war portraying Ukraine as a risk and the incumbent Hungarian government as seeking stability,” Csilla Fedinec, a historian at ELTE University’s Center for Social Sciences, said.

Tensions between Hungary and Ukraine have escalated in recent months, including disputes over a Russian oil pipeline supplying landlocked Hungary. Budapest has accused Kyiv of delaying its reopening, while Ukraine says the infrastructure was damaged by Russian air strikes in January.

Hungary has also delayed approval of a 90-billion-euro European Union loan package for Ukraine and opposed additional sanctions on Russia, underscoring divisions within the bloc over support for Kyiv.Analysts and cybersecurity experts say disinformation has featured prominently in the campaign.

Pro-government media outlets circulated AI-generated images exaggerating the scale of valuables seized from Ukrainian bank employees detained briefly by Hungarian authorities.

Social media posts featuring such content recorded high engagement, with signs of coordinated activity including accounts lacking identifiable information.Separately, fabricated images depicting vandalism of a Hungarian memorial in Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region circulated online, prompting hostile reactions despite later being identified as artificial.

Experts say such incidents reflect broader patterns of election-related disinformation.Ferenc Fresz, former head of Hungary’s Cyber Defense Service, said there is ongoing evidence of attempts to influence voters through coordinated messaging, including deepfakes presented as news content.

He said narratives attributed to Russian-linked actors often align with pro-government messaging, reinforcing their impact.Hungarian officials, including Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, have rejected claims of Russian interference as unfounded.Orban has also sought to portray his main rival as aligned with foreign interests, including Ukraine and the European Union.

At a rally in Budapest, he framed the election as a choice between his leadership and that of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.Shortly after, images circulated of individuals displaying a Ukrainian flag at an opposition event, which were later linked to affiliates of Orban’s own party, prompting accusations of staged political tactics.

Opposition leader Magyar dismissed the incident as a “false flag operation.”AI-manipulated imagery has also been used to target Magyar directly, including altered visuals suggesting his support for Ukraine.

Billboards critical of Zelensky have appeared across Hungary over the past year, sometimes alongside depictions of opposition figures.Despite contested claims and fabricated content, analysts say the campaign resonates with segments of the electorate concerned about being drawn into the Ukraine war.

Political scientist Eszter Kovats of the University of Vienna said such messaging taps into broader anxieties amplified by discussions across Europe on rearmament and conscription.

She said the ruling party’s strategy appeals to voters’ desire for stability, presenting continuity as a safer option in an increasingly uncertain geopolitical environment.

Seoul’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) told a closed-door parliamentary briefing that Pyongyang has not supplied weapons or material support to Iran since the conflict began on February 28.

The agency also noted that North Korea refrained from issuing condolences following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in air strikes, according to lawmaker Park Sun-won, who attended the session.

The NIS further said Pyongyang did not send a congratulatory message after Mojtaba Khamenei was named Iran’s new supreme leader, underscoring what it described as a cautious diplomatic posture amid the escalating crisis.

While China and Russia have issued multiple statements on the conflict, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has released only two relatively muted responses, the intelligence agency said.

This restrained approach aligns with a broader pattern in which Pyongyang has avoided direct criticism of US President Donald Trump in recent months.The NIS assessed that North Korea’s calibrated messaging is aimed at maintaining diplomatic flexibility ahead of a potential summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump expected in May.

Lawmakers were told the strategy reflects Pyongyang’s effort to position itself for a possible shift in geopolitical dynamics once the Middle East conflict stabilizes.Economic considerations are also shaping North Korea’s posture, the NIS said.

The country is facing disruptions in securing industrial supplies, alongside rising prices and currency pressures linked to the broader regional instability. The agency added that Pyongyang is seeking to secure oil supplies from Russia to mitigate the impact.

At the Ninth Workers’ Party Congress in late February, leader Kim Jong Un indicated a willingness to engage with Washington, stating there was no reason the two countries could not improve relations if the United States acknowledged North Korea as a nuclear state and abandoned what Pyongyang considers hostile policies.

According to the NIS, Kim’s remarks were delivered in a personal tone intended to signal openness to dialogue while maintaining strategic leverage, suggesting a calculated effort to keep diplomatic channels viable amid shifting international conditions.

The 15-member council had been due to vote Friday on a proposal introduced by Bahrain, but the session was deferred, with diplomatic sources citing the observance of Good Friday as the official reason. No new date for the vote has been announced.

The draft resolution, backed by the United States, would permit member states, acting individually or through multinational coalitions, to use “all defensive means necessary” to ensure safe passage through the strait and deter interference with international navigation. The mandate would apply for an initial period of at least six months.

The proposal comes as Iran has effectively constrained traffic through the vital shipping lane in response to U.S.-Israeli military actions, disrupting global energy flows. The strait typically carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies, making it a critical artery for global trade.

Bahrain’s UN ambassador Jamal Alrowaiei described the resolution as timely, warning of the wider economic impact of disruptions to shipping. However, the measure faces resistance from key council members, including Russia and China, both of which hold veto power and have expressed concerns that authorizing force could escalate the conflict.

Chinese envoy Fu Cong said such authorization risks legitimizing “indiscriminate use of force,” while Russia has criticized what it views as unilateral approaches to the crisis. France, another permanent member, has signaled cautious support after revisions emphasized the defensive nature of the proposal.

Analysts say the resolution faces significant hurdles. Daniel Forti of the International Crisis Group said it is unlikely to gain approval without broader consensus, particularly if it does not address underlying political drivers of the conflict.

Separately, Donald Trump said countries facing fuel shortages should secure their own supplies in the region, adding that U.S. forces would not intervene on their behalf.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned against any “provocative action” at the Security Council, cautioning that further steps could intensify the situation.The draft reflects rare consideration of force authorization by the council, underscoring the severity of the disruption to global energy markets and maritime security.

The ceremony, scheduled for mid-April, will coincide with the inauguration of a newly built memorial museum dedicated to troops killed during overseas deployment, particularly in Russia’s Kursk region, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

South Korean officials estimate that around 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed since Pyongyang deployed thousands of personnel, along with missiles and munitions, to support Moscow’s war effort. North Korea confirmed last year that its forces were engaged in combat operations abroad and had suffered casualties.

Leader Kim Jong Un has overseen preparations for the ceremony and inspected the nearly completed museum, which state media said is 97% finished. KCNA reported that Kim praised the project as a symbol of “heroism” and described it as a site for promoting patriotism and commemorating the fallen.

Analysts say North Korea’s support for Russia has been reciprocated through financial assistance, food supplies, energy resources and military technology transfers, helping Pyongyang mitigate the impact of international sanctions imposed over its nuclear weapons program.

The burial ceremony will mark the first anniversary of what state media described as the “liberation operations” in Kursk, underscoring Pyongyang’s alignment with Moscow’s narrative of the conflict.

Kim has previously presided over similar commemorative events, with state media releasing images showing him paying respects to fallen soldiers, including ceremonies involving flag-draped coffins and interactions with returning troops.

State news agencies TASS and RIA, citing the ministry, said the aircraft lost communication before going down on the Black Sea peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

The ministry said the dead included 23 passengers and six crew members, with no survivors reported.“The An-26 aircraft, with which communication was lost earlier, crashed into a cliff,” TASS quoted officials at the crash site as saying.

Authorities located the wreckage in Crimea, though further operational details were not immediately disclosed.Russia’s defense ministry did not provide additional comment outside regular business hours.

RIA news agency reported that, according to an initial assessment, technical problems were believed to have caused the crash.

No confirmation was given on whether an official investigation had been launched or if other factors were being examined.

The An-26 is a Soviet-era twin-engine turboprop widely used for military transport and logistics operations.

Speaking to reporters, Zelensky said the messages followed a sharp escalation in global energy prices linked to widening conflict in the Middle East, which has disrupted supplies of oil, gas and refined products. He said Kyiv remained open to an Easter ceasefire under reciprocal conditions.

Signals tied to energy market pressuresA source familiar with the matter said U.S. officials had conveyed the concerns during routine contacts with Ukrainian counterparts, adding that the initial signals appeared to have originated from Moscow.

The US State Department and Russia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russian oil facilities in recent months as part of its broader strategy to undermine revenues supporting Moscow’s military campaign.

The reported outreach from allies reflects concern that such attacks could further tighten global supply at a time of already elevated prices.Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have left the country facing acute shortages, forcing authorities to secure alternative supplies.

Zelensky said Kyiv had reached agreements with several Middle Eastern countries to bolster energy support following a recent regional visit.He said Ukraine had secured a deal for year-long diesel deliveries, critical for both military operations and the agricultural sector, though he did not disclose volumes or suppliers.

Ukraine also signed framework cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and indicated another agreement was being prepared with the United Arab Emirates.

Zelensky said he had also discussed air defense needs with regional leaders, but noted that partners were currently prioritizing deployments to the Middle East due to ongoing hostilities involving Iran.

He added that Ukraine risked being sidelined in the allocation of advanced anti-ballistic missile systems as international focus shifts toward the escalating regional conflict.

The vessel, the Anatoly Kolodkin, operating under U.S. sanctions, is the first Russian oil delivery to Cuba since January. Its arrival follows a decision by Donald Trump to permit the cargo on humanitarian grounds, avoiding a potential standoff with Moscow while easing acute shortages that have led to blackouts and fuel rationing.

Residents expressed cautious optimism as the tanker approached the Supertanker Base in Matanzas, a key energy hub east of Havana. Many said the shipment would provide temporary respite but fall short of addressing systemic shortages.

Cuba has faced repeated nationwide blackouts since 2024, alongside persistent scarcities of fuel, food and medicine. The latest delivery is expected to be processed over several weeks before refined products enter circulation.

Energy expert Jorge Pinon of the University of Texas at Austin estimated the crude could yield around 250,000 barrels of diesel, enough to meet demand for roughly 12 days, underscoring the limited scale of the relief. Fome Cubans welcomed the shipment as urgently needed support.

Others described it as insufficient given the depth of the crisis, calling it a symbolic gesture with minimal economic impact.The government is expected to prioritize allocation between electricity generation and transportation, both critical sectors strained by fuel shortages.

Analysts say the oil is unlikely to be used in Cuba’s aging thermoelectric plants, which rely primarily on domestically produced crude.Russia signaled its continued backing for Havana, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stating Moscow viewed assistance to Cuba as a responsibility.

He added that Russia and the United States had been in contact regarding the shipment.Washington maintained that its broader sanctions policy remains unchanged.

The White House described the waiver as a case-by-case humanitarian decision, even as Trump reiterated criticism of Cuba’s leadership and downplayed the shipment’s long-term impact.Cuba’s energy outlook has worsened since the disruption of supplies from Venezuela earlier this year, intensifying reliance on external partners.

Efforts to secure alternative shipments, including discussions involving Mexico, have yet to yield sustained flows sufficient to stabilize the grid.